Thank you for subscribing to Strange and Wondrous: Notes from a Science Historian! I’m a historian of science, art, and ideas and the author of HUMANS: A Monstrous History (University of California Press, 2025). For ordering info, links, and how to use the evergreen 30% discount code UCPSAVE30 from anywhere in the world, see this newsletter.

I also wrote Renaissance Ethnography and the Invention of the Human: New Worlds, Maps and Monsters.

This newsletter appears 2-3 times a month. I write about:

the stranger stories of science, history, monsters, and monster-making;
books, art, podcasts, and pop culture: my takes and recommendations;
semi-serious and zany goofball reflections on being author-hustler;
book preordering/publication updates, tour dates, and promotions/gifts

There will be occasional bonus content exclusively for subscribers. I’m delighted to share two of these pieces with you now:

an extract from HUMANS: A Monstrous History.

an essay entitled “Behind the Smithsonian Magazine essay”.

You can download both from my website via this link. There’s a password to access the page: Mu2021ppets

Or, you can copy and paste this URL into your browser and then enter the password:

http://www.surekhadavies.org/gifts-for-newsletter-subscribers

You can catch up with earlier newsletters, too - they are all at this link. The most recent newsletter appears at the top of the page, right after the pinned newsletter.

Some newsletters have books or movies at the core - like this one inspired by the fiftieth anniversary of the movie Jaws and another about what the new Frankenstein movie tells us about the ethics (or rather lack thereof) of genAI.

Others are about travel, or offer exhibition reviews, like this essay on the Fantasy exhibition at the British Library.

Some take a deep dive into historical sources, like this essay on Sir Walter Ralegh’s headless men.

Then there are the news roundups - here’s one with info about the Chinese edition (traditional characters), an upcoming talk in London (March 5th, 2026), and two new essays published and accessible for free.

Still others are about how I wrestle with the craft and process of writing. Among these, my favourite newsletters are positively anarchic - like Small Mammal Problems: Managing the Creative Brain, or Operation Errand: Whack-a-Moling for People Who Think Too Much.

Any requests for topics for future newsletters? Feel free to drop me a note!

Warmly,

Surekha

Surekha Davies, Ph.D. (she, her, hers)

Author, speaker, historian

Fellowships Chair & Board of Directors Member, Renaissance Society of America

Available now: Humans: A Monstrous History (University of California Press, 2025.

Also published: Renaissance Ethnography and the Invention of the Human: New Worlds, Maps and Monsters (Cambridge University Press, 2016)

Website: surekhadavies.org